5 Anti-Foundations If Conventional Foundations Are Just Not Your Thing

If you want a touch of coverage, blurred pores, hydration and your skin tone evened out all in under a minute – or less! – your wish is their command.

by Candice Chua | May 17, 2018

What a wonderful time for beauty junkies to be in. Where once there was only one type of foundation – my first was a greasy drugstore label stick, bleargh – now we have a plethora. To say that we are spoilt for choice is a severe understatement.

Call it a bid to be more effortless or perhaps I really am just that lazy, but lately, I’ve found myself relying less and less on conventional foundations. Liquid foundations – like this truly phenomenal one from NARS – are still a part of my life, cushions even more so. But lately, I’ve been really into tinted moisturisers. How am I only just discovering them?

Look, listen. Cushion foundations are great and all, but tinted moisturisers! Such multi-taskers! They moisturise. They provide sun protection. They give coverage with a finish that is even more natural-looking than that from a cushion foundation. All that, and they’re super easy to apply.

Sure, tinted moisturisers are definitely not enough if you need stronger coverage, but on a good skin day where you just need to blur pores and even out your skin tone? Sign me up. The tinted moisturiser life, people, get on it. Below, I rounded up five chart toppers that I’ll bet will earn your good graces. (They are between SPF 15 to SPF 30 though, so if you want more protection, just layer some sunscreen under.)

Chanel Les Beiges Sheer Healthy Glow Tinted Moisturiser

Don’t let first impressions mislead you. It may feel oily at first, but wait it out. Once it settles, just a bit of Chanel’s tinted moisturiser is enough to even out the skin tone and blur pores, giving a dewy but not too dewy finish. The hyaluronic acid within keeps skin hydrated as well, allowing you to take a step off your skin prep routine, easy. The fact that it stays on for hours without melting makes this our favourite of the five. (Eurgh, and that scent!)

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser

We haven’t met a NARS foundation that we didn’t like, from their cushions to their new light-as-air liquid foundation, so this was a no brainer. Incredibly light on the skin, this tinted moisturiser leaves it glowing – yet still natural-looking – because of mineral-rich seawater within. It may feel a little sticky for some, but that is easily managed with setting powder.

Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser

If you’re about that natural botanical life, Chantecaille is for you. With honeysuckle and green tea and sodium hyaluronate to lock in moisture, Just Skin is lightweight and easy to apply, and like Chanel’s Les Beiges, it may feel oily at first, but it surprisingly doesn’t melt once you set it with powder. Don’t overdo this as it might feel heavy if you lay it on too thick. (This is for sheer coverage after all, you’re not reaching for the stars here.)

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Illuminating

Ah, this one consistently shows up on “best of” lists – including ours now it seems. It has all the hallmarks of a good tinted moisturiser in that it blurs pores and fine lines, evens out redness, gives some hydrations and stays put, but it also makes your skin glow. Like, legitimately glow. You want to look alive in a minute? Use this. It even has Vitamins A, C and E to give your skin a radiant, nutrient-charged boost.

By Terry Cellularose Moisturising CC Cream

By Terry’s Baume De Rose Lip Protectant basically saves my grainy, sandpaper lips in sub-zero temperatures, so when it puts something on the table, especially if its signature rose is involved, I’m down for it. By Terry’s tinted moisturiser is on the pricier end of the spectrum, but it feels – and smells – absolutely lovely on the skin. Featherlight and almost serum like, this CC Cream covers just enough, blurring pores and giving ample hydration along the way with Vitamin E and Centifolia Rose and Alba Rose Cells.